Pea Pancakes with Smoked Trout

Ingredients:

400g whole smoked trout

125ml plain flour

125ml self-raising flour

1.25ml bicarbonate of soda

160ml buttermilk

80ml milk

125ml frozen baby peas, thawed and drained

15ml finely chopped fresh parsley

30ml finely chopped fresh chives

1 egg white

60ml low-fat sour cream

Pickled Cucumber:

2 short cucumbers

1 small red capsicum, chopped finely

60ml water

60ml sugar

125ml white vinegar

Method:

Remove any skin and bones from the fish and break into large pieces.

Sift flours and bicarb into a large bowl. Combine the buttermilk, milk, peas, parsley and half the chives in a jug and gradually whisk in whisk this into the flour mixture to form a batter.

Beat egg white in a small bowl with an electric beater until soft peaks form; fold the egg white into the batter. Pour 60ml of the batter for each flapjack into a large heated oiled non-stick frying pan. Cook the flapjacks in batches until browned on each side.

Combine the sour cream and remaining chives in a small bowl. Serve warm flapjacks topped with fish, pickled cucumber and sour cream mixture.

Pickled Cucumber:

Using a vegetable peeler, slice the cucumbers into ribbons. Combine the cucumber with the capsicum in a medium sized bowl. Combine water and sugar in a small saucepan and stir over a low heat until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for about 5 minutes or until slightly thickened. Add vinegar to the syrup and pour hot syrup over the cucumber mixture. Cover and store in the fridge to cool.

Achar Masala

Achar masala - Indian pickle masala - A blend of aromatic spices roasted and blended together to make a rich and spicy masala that can be used to dress many vegetables to transform them into instant pickles.This Achar masala can be used to pickle mangoes, carrots, green beans, cabbage, or what ever vegetable you like to pickle. Achar masala should be dry and crumbly. Extra oil is added as required when making the pickle.

Ingredients :

125ml red hot chilli powder
2.5ml turmeric powder
125ml fenugreek (methi )seeds
12 black peppercorns
2.5ml mustard seeds
1ml asafetida
60ml salt
30ml olive oil, sunflower or peanut oil

2 red dried chillies

Method :

Dry roast the fenugreek seeds in a frying pan and dry grind them coarsely and keep it aside.

Heat oil in a pan, and add the mustard seeds,black peppercorns, red chillies and asafetida . Keep aside to cool slightly.(I f you add hot oil to chilli powder it will burn it and discolour)

To the ground fenugreek add the chilli powder and salt and turmeric mix well.

Add the warmed oil to the fenugreek mixture and mix well. Leave to cool.

Transfer the achar masala to sterilised jar and use as required. 

Egg Salad Filled Avocados with Lime Pickled Red Onions

Ingredients:

Lime Pickled Red Onions:

2 small red onions

Juice of 3 limes

15ml oil (avocado, sunflower, light olive oil, or any mild flavoured oil)

15ml salt + more to adjust taste

Egg salad:

8 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and diced

125ml finely diced radishes, about 3-4 radishes

125ml finely diced red onion, about ¼ of a large onion

125ml finely diced celery, about 2 stalks

30ml mayonnaise

30ml unsweetened plain yoghurt

10ml mustard

30ml fresh lime or lemon juice

2.5ml cumin powder

1 jalapeño, seeds removed and finely chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Avocado stuffing:

4-5 ripe but firm avocados, cut in halves, seeds removed and peeled

30ml fresh lime juice

Lettuce leaves

Lime Pickled Red Onions for garnishing

Fresh sprigs of dill  to garnish

Method:

First make the Lime Pickled Red Onions:

Cut the onion in half, slice very finely (a mandolin is very helpful with this part) and place in a bowl.

Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon salt and a squeeze of lime juice, let rest for about 10 minutes.

Cover the onions with lukewarm water and let rest for another 10 minutes.

Rinse and drain the onions. Add the lime juice, salt and the oil, and mix well.

Cover the onions and place in the fridge, the onions will start to turn pinkish after about 3 hours, and will turn very pink if left overnight. Taste again before serving and add salt if needed.

Secondly make the egg salad:

Combine the diced hard-boiled eggs, radish, red onion, celery, mayonnaise and/or yogurt, mustard, lime juice, and cumin powder in a large bowl. Mix well.

Add the diced jalapeño (if using) and salt/pepper to taste.

Use immediately or save the egg salad in the refrigerator until ready to stuff the avocados.

Thirdly, complete the stuffed avocados:

Drizzle the peeled avocado halves with the lime juice, this will slow down the darkening process.

Stuff the avocados with 1-2 spoonfuls of the egg salad.

Place the egg salad stuffed avocados on top of lettuce leaves. Garnish with your choice of fresh dill and red pickled onions.

Serve immediately.

Peperonata

This Southern Italian dish is most often served as a vegetable or as a sauce for pasta. 

It can be stored in a mason jar in the fridge for about 1 week and makes a delicious salad.

Ingredients:

4 yellow peppers, deseeded and cut into strips

4 yellow peppers, deseeded and cut into strips

2 onions, peeled and sliced

3 cloves garlic, chopped

Olive oil

2 firm, ripe tomatoes, deseeded and cubed

1-2ml chilli powder

45ml wine vinegar

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan and fry the peppers, onion and garlic for 5 minutes. Cover and cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes until tender. Add the tomatoes and cook for a further 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and mix in the chilli powder, vinegar and seasoning. Allow to cool and serve at room temperature.

Sweet and Sour Onions

These onions can be prepared in advance, stored in a Mason Jar and kept in the fridge for up to 5 days. Although they are great served at room temperature, they are better reheated before serving. If served with a braai, they can be eaten just like pickled onions.

Ingredients:

24-30 pickling onions, washed but unpeeled

1 clove garlic, crushed

½ chicken stock cube

60ml soft brown sugar

60ml dark vinegar

45ml tomato sauce

10ml soy sauce

15ml cornflour

125ml cold water

Method:

With just enough water to cover, combine onions, garlic and chicken stock in a medium saucepan. Cover and bring to the boil; cook for three minutes. Drain onions with a slotted spoon; refresh under cold water. Reserve the cooking liquid.

When cool enough to handle, remove the skins and return them to the cooking liquid, where they will add colour and flavour to the sauce. Boil and reduce the liquid to about 125ml; strain and discard the skins.

Return onions to the cooking liquid; add vinegar, sugar, tomato sauce, soy sauce and cornflour slaked with 125ml cold water. Bring to the boil and simmer, stirring gently for about 5 minutes until the sauce is smooth and thickened, and the onions are crisp-tender. Serve hot or allow to cool and store in the fridge until required.

Beetroot and Onion Salad

When selecting beetroots, don’t buy limp leaved beets; choose instead undamaged vegetables that won’t lose moisture and flavour when they are cooked. Furthermore, when cooking the beets, leave the whiskery roots and a little of the leaf stalks intact. From a cooking point of view, it’s good to have beets of an even size.

Ingredients:

5 large cooked beetroot, skinned and thinly sliced

2 medium onions, thinly sliced

60ml vinegar

Sugar

Salt and pepper

Method:

Combine the beetroot and onion in a bowl.

Sprinkle with sugar, salt and pepper to taste and pour over the vinegar.

Allow the salad to stand for about 30 minutes before serving or store in a large sterilised mason jar in the fridge.

Beetroot Salad

Ingredients:
1 bunch of beetroot

Vinegar Dressing:
125ml white vinegar
30ml water
5ml Dijon Mustard
5ml honey
10ml salt
2.5ml freshly ground black pepper
125ml Olive Oil
30ml sunflower oil

Method:
Remove beetroot leaves, leaving ± 2 cm of stems. Do not cut the root ends. Place beetroot in a large saucepan and cover with warm water.

Cover and simmer on medium heat for 45 minutes or until beetroot is tender (test with a fork or pointed knife).

Drain off water and leave beetroot to cool. Slip off the skins and trim the root and stem ends.

Pour dressing ingredients into a screw-top jar and shake until well combined.

Cut beetroot into quarters and pack into a sterilised glass jar.

Shake up dressing and pour over beetroot to cover.

Seal jar and refrigerate for 2-3 hours or overnight if possible.


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Yellow Cling Peaches and Onion Atchar

Delicious with mutton, cheese or chicken pie.

Ingredients:

3 kg yellow cling peaches - washed and cut into even sized segments

1 kg baby onions

30 ml coriander seeds

15 ml whole peppercorns

2 litres white vinegar

50 g cornflour (100 ml)

25 ml curry powder

10 ml turmeric

200 g white sugar (250 ml)

10 ml salt water

Method:

Boil the coriander, peppercorns and vinegar together.

Mix the cornflour, curry powder, turmeric  sugar, salt and enough water together to make a smooth paste.

Stir into the vinegar mixture and keep on stirring until the mixture is well dissolved.

Add the peaches and the onions and boil together for 10 minutes.

Spoon mixture into clean, dry sterilised jars and seal.

Makes ± 4 litres. 

Pickled Green Beans

Ingredients:

4 garlic cloves, mashed
1/2 cup Pickling Spice
2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 lb green beans, trimmed
2 cups white vinegar
1 cup water
1/4 cup pickling salt

Method:
Evenly distribute the garlic, pickling spice, and red pepper flakes among the prepared pint jars.
Pack the beans tightly into the jars.
In a small bot, bring the vinegar, water, and salt to a boil over medium heat.
Pour the hot brine over the beans, leaving ¼ inch headspace. Seal the jars and process for 8 to 10 minutes. Store the pickles for at least 2 weeks before opening for maximum flavor development.

Variation:
Dilly Beans: Evenly distribute 2 bunches of dill among the jars along with the pickling spice and red pepper flakes.

Storage:
Processed, these pickles will keep for up to 6 months. Once jars have been opened, store them in the refrigerator, where they will keep for up to 5 days.

Brinjal Pickle

Ingredients:

1 kg long brinjals or large brinjals,  washed and chopped in 1 inch pieces

1 cup sunflower oil

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

2 inch piece of ginger, chopped

30ml chilli flakes

10ml cumin seeds

5ml fenugreek seeds

5ml mustard powder

5ml powdered turmeric

2 cups brown vinegar

250ml sugar

15ml sea salt

Method:

Grind half the chilli flakes (15 ml), cumin seeds and fenugreek seeds in a spice grinder or pestle and mortar to a powder.

Heat the oil in the pan and fry the prepared spices, remaining chilli flakes, mustard powder, turmeric, ginger and garlic in it for 5-10 minutes until the spices have fully permeated the oil.

Add the vinegar,  salt and sugar.

Bring to the boil and add the brinjals. Stir well and continue to cook on a very slow fire till the brinjals are cooked and the mixture has thickened.

This pickle can be served immediately or bottles and stored in a cool, dry place. The flavour improves on storing.

Sweet Cucumber and Red Onion Pickle

Ingredients:

1 English cucumber

1 large red onion

1 bunch of dill herb

450ml brown vinegar

50ml honey

50ml white sugar

5ml grainy mustard

Zest and juice of half a large lemon

5ml sea salt

Method:

Slice the cucumber into thin slices.

Peel the onion and halve it lengthwise before slicing it into thin slices.

Roughly chop or snip the dill herb. Use half of this for the pickle and freeze the rest with a little water for later use.

In a sterilised pickle bottle, layer the cucumber, onion and dill herb so that the pickle is well mixed.

In a small pan over a low heat, bring to the boil all the remaining ingredients, ensuring that everything dissolves.

Pour the hot vinegar mixture over the cucumber mixture a little at a time, tapping the bottle to release any trapped air. Make sure that all the salt and mustard seeds go into the jar. Close firmly before shaking gently up and down. 

Stand for an hour or two before serving.

This pickle can be stored in the fridge. Use within 2 weeks.

A Pickle of a Pawpaw

We call them pawpaws in South Africa, but here in the UK they are referred to as papaya. This wonderful fruit of the Carica papaya is native to the American tropics and was cultivated in Mexico for hundreds of years before becoming known in other parts of the world. Today it grows in many warm countries including Natal, where it springs up all over the place, its seeds spread by birds in their droppings. The ripe fruit is normally eaten raw, but in South East Asia, in particular, the green unripe fruit is cooked and eaten in salads and chutneys. They can also be used to make jams with other fruits as they have a high pectin content.

The seeds of the pawpaw, or papaya, are quite an interesting commodity. They can be dried and used as a substitute for pepper, their sharp spicy taste giving piquancy to a dish. Papaya seeds have also been used in India and Pakistan as an abortifacient in females and contraceptive in males, but I don’t recommend this application without proper advice.

One of the great benefits of pawpaw, for which I can recommend it from personal experience, is that it is an asset in weight management. It contains a protease enzyme known as Papain, which not only helps to tenderise meat, but also helps in the breakdown and removal of fat from the body. So if you’re looking to manage your weight, eat the ripe fruit regularly. It is also known to contain Lycopene, which is an immune stimulant with anti cancer potential.

To make Pawpaw Pickle

Ingredients:
Makes 3 x 175ml (6oz) jars

1 green or unripe pawpaw – papaya
15ml salt
1 medium red or white onion, roughly chopped
1 green chilli, seeds included and finely chopped
185ml malt vinegar
185ml water
250g sugar
30ml tandoori masala or chilli powder

Method:
Peel and chop the pawpaw into quarters and remove the seeds. Cut the flesh into thin slices and place them in a glass or plastic bowl. Cover the fruit with the salt, tossing to ensure complete coverage and marinate for at least an hour.

Drain the excess liquid that has been drawn out of the fruit by the salt and place the fruit into a saucepan with the onion, green chilli and chilli powder. Add water, sugar and vinegar and bring to the boil. Simmer gently for about 15-20 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool.

Spoon the fruit mixture into sterilised jars and pour over the vinegar syrup and seal the jars while still hot. Store at room temperature, or in the fridge once opened.

Mixed Vegetable Achar

Achar is a type of pickle, which originated in Malaysia. Some achars use vinegar and oil as preservatives, but I was taught to make it with mustard oil as the preservative medium. I have seen recipes that use vegetable oil and mustard powder added, but they don’t give the genuine result of the ‘Indian Achar’ I know and love, but rather come out more like piccalilli. If you are unable to get mustard oil, which is readily available from Indian or Asian supermarkets, then use vegetable oil but add more mustard seeds.

This makes about 8 x 454g jars.

Ingredients:
1 – 1.5kg carrots
500g green beans
1 small cabbage – preferably white cabbage, not Savoy
1 small cauliflower
15ml mustard seeds
15ml cumin seeds
15ml sesame seeds
12 chillies, split lengthwise, seeds left in
15ml salt
5ml ground mace
5ml ground cloves
5ml ground cardamom
30ml tandoori spice or ground chilli powder
250ml muscovado sugar
750ml mustard oil – or vegetable oil and mustard seeds

Method:

Peel the carrots and cut them into julienne pieces. I’m lazy; I put them through the chipper plate in the food processor. It might give a bit of a choppy mess with lots of little bits, but it’s for pickle, so it doesnt need to be perfect...

Wash the beans well – I find they always have a bit of dirt on them and if you don’t wash them they can add grit to your pickle. Top and tail the beans , then cut them on a slant into ½ cm lengths – the thin slither eradicates any stringiness they might have.

Remove the outer leaves of the cabbage and cut it into quarters. Cut out the hard central core and slice up the rest of the cabbage as you would for coleslaw – again, I’m lazy and run it through the thick slicer plate in the food processor.

Break up the cauliflower into small florets, cutting the larger florets in half or quarters and discarding the thick stalks. I usually cut up some of the thinner stalks into thin slithers just to add some bulk and crunch to the achar.

Blanch all the vegetables in a large pot of boiling water for 5- 10 minutes, until they are softened. Drain the water off and allow them to dry. In Durban when I made this I would lay the vegetables out on a large sheet in the sun, but we don’t have the space or get that kind of sunshine in the UK, so here I put the vegetables on baking trays and dry them for about 30 minutes in a low oven, about 150C. Once the vegetables are suitably dried – they only need to have some of the moisture taken out so they are not wet – put them into a large pickling basin.

Now you need to sterilise your jars. I usually do this by first soaking and washing the jars well in warm soapy water to remove any dirt they may have left from their previous use and to remove any labels. Once they are clean, I rinse them in warm water and place them on a baking or roasting tray. Into each jar, I pout about 1 inch of water and then put them in the oven at about 120-150C for a half an hour. If your jars have metal caps, the best way to sterilise these is to put them in a pot of water on the stove and boil them for about 10 minutes. Leave your jars in the oven and the caps in boiling water until needed.

When your jars are almost ready in the oven, make the tempering to go on the vegetables. Put the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, sesame seeds and chillies in a frying pan with about 100ml mustard oil and bring them up to heat until the cumin seeds are spitting and the mustard seeds are jumping. Pour this tempering over the vegetables in the bowl and mix through.

Mix the salt, ground mace, ground cloves, ground cardamom, tandoori spice or ground chilli powder and sugar in a bowl and add to the vegetables, blending the spices through the mixture. Now you can spoon the vegetables into prepared sterilised jars.

Lightly heat the mustard oil – or vegetable oil and mustard seeds if you prefer – in a saucepan. As soon as the oil begins to smoke, remove it from the heat and allow it to cool slightly for 4-5 minutes. Pour the oil into the jars over the vegetables until the vegetables are covered – this may take a couple of top ups in each jar as the oil makes its way through the vegetables and settles in the jars. Once all the jars are filled, you can seal the jars with their lids. Store at room temperature for about 2 weeks before using. This pickle should keep for at least 6 months or more.

Butternut Squash Pickle

Butternut squash is easy to cook, making it an appealing part of a healthy diet. It provides an abundance of vitamins and other nutrients including carotene antioxidants, minerals, Omega-3 fatty acids and dietary fibre, making it great for all round protection against degenerative diseases, heart disease and digestive problems. It's great for those who need to reduce or maintain their weight as it is low in fat and the dietary fibre helps prevent lipid absorption in the digestive tract. All in all, quite a little miracle vegetable.

One thing with this squash is that it must be peeled. Many cooks leave the skin on for roasting or steaming, however it has been my experience that this is not a good idea. The hard outer skin, although it holds a lot of excellent nutrients, also has a mucous content, which imparts a bitterness to the rest of the pulp if the skin is left on during cooking.

Ingredients:
60ml vegetable oil
400g butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1cm cubes
2 green chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
2ml black onion seeds (nigella or kalonji)
2ml ground turmeric
2ml ground fenugreek
60ml chopped fresh coriander
60ml chopped fresh mint leaves
30ml mango chutney
juice of 1 lime

Method:
Heat a frying pan until hot, add the oil and butternut squash and stir-fr for 3-4 minutes, or until the squash is softened and golden brown.

Stir in the chopped chilli, onion seeds, turmeric and fenugreek. Reduce the heat slightly and stir-fry for 4-5 minutes, or until the squash is tender.

Stir in the chopped coriander, mint, chutney and lime juice. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve warm as an accompaniment to your choice of curry or store in a sterilised screw-top container and use as a cold pickle.

Roast Salmon with Dill Mustard Sauce and Pickled Vegetables

This spicy fish recipe is perfect for a dinner party.

Serve with a crisp dry white wine.

Ingredients:

For the salmon

8 x 75g pieces of salmon fillet

20ml vegetable oil

15ml ginger and garlic paste

2ml sea salt

30ml Greek-style yoghurt

30ml wholegrain mustard

2 ling thin green chillies, finely chopped

5ml sugar

5ml finely chopped fresh dill herb

20-30ml mustard oil, for drizzling

For the pickled vegetables

150ml white wine vinegar

75g caster sugar

3 radishes, finely sliced

1 golden beetroot, very finely sliced

1 carrot, very finely sliced

½ cucumber very finely sliced and cut into dice

150ml sparkling water

Method:

For the salmon, pat the fish dry using kitchen paper.

Mix together one teaspoon of the vegetable oil, the ginger-garlic paste and the salt in a small bowl. Rub this mixture over the fish and set aside for five minutes.

Meanwhile, mix together a second marinade in a small bowl with the yoghurt, wholegrain mustard, chillies, sugar and dill.

Mix the fish with the second marinade and set aside until you are ready to cook the fish.

For the pickled vegetables, place the vinegar and sugar into a saucepan and heat until the sugar has dissolved.

Place all the vegetables, except the diced cucumber, into a bowl and pour over the hot vinegar. Stir well then leave for at least five minutes.

Place the diced cucumber into a bowl with the sparkling water, then cover and place in the microwave on high for 30 seconds. Remove and drain.

To cook the salmon, crank up your grill to maximum power and put the fish skin-side up to cook for 3-4 minutes. Serve the fish immediately drizzled with mustard oil and the diced cucumber alongside. Serve a portion of the pickled vegetables in a small bowl for each guest.

Gravad Lax

Gravad Lax

(or Gravelax as some erroneously call it)

is a traditional Scandinavian dish served in the festive season.

Basically it is a sweet pickle made with salmon,

but the dill used in the pickling gives it an amazing flavour.

Served as a starter with a special mustard sauce,

it's a dish to impress.

This needs to be made about three days before you want to serve it.

.

Ingredients:
750g salmon fillet
50ml sea salt, the flakes variety is the best to use
50ml Demerara sugar
10ml prepared English mustard
30ml brandy freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 large handful of fresh dill, roughly chopped

.

Method:
Place the salmon fillet, skin-side down, into a wide, shallow dish that fits the salmon snugly.
Place the salt, sugar, English mustard and brandy into a clean bowl and mix well until the ingredients have combined to form a smooth yellow mixture.
Spread the mixture over the salmon's pink flesh to cover completely.
Grind over black pepper to taste and sprinkle the dill onto the paste-covered salmon, patting down to press the dill onto the flesh. No pink flesh from the salmon should be visible.
Turn the fish over in the dish so that the skin is facing upwards.
Cover the dish with one layer of cling film. Press the cling film down onto the edges of the fish to exclude as much air as possible before wrapping the film around the sides of the dish. Once this has been completed repeat the process with another layer of cling film.
Apply weights to the top of the fish to press it down into the dish (use a dish or board that sits nicely within the salmon dish, weighed down evenly by tins from your store cupboard or any other suitable weights).
Transfer the fish to the fridge and leave for 2-3 days.
When you are ready to prepare for your meal, unwrap the cling film from the dish and remove the salmon fillet. Brush the dill off the salmon.
Place the salmon fillet on a carving board flesh-side up. With a long, sharp knife, carefully carve very thin diagonal slivers of the pink flesh off the salmon.
Rewrap the fish in cling film and keep in the fridge if it's not all used in one go.
To serve, place on a clean plate and garnish with chopped fresh dill. Serve with buttered rye bread and a separate bowl of Mustard sauce.

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Mustard Sauce:
Ingredients:
30ml Dijon mustard
20ml sugar
1 egg yolk
100ml olive oil
30ml white wine vinegar
10ml fresh chopped fresh dill
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to season

.

Method:
Beat the mustard with the sugar and egg yolk until smooth. Whisk together the oil and vinegar, then gradually add to the mustard mixture, whisking thoroughly between each addition. Add the chopped dill and season with salt and black pepper, mixing well to ensure even distribution of the seasoning.